Can You Help?

The day-by-day tracking of the 1945 Kansas City Monarchs has come to a close, but that doesn't mean I'm not still on the lookout for game reports. I'll go back and add info and stats if and when they turn up. If you're interested in helping, here's a list of Monarchs games I have reason to think were played but for which I have no report. If you have access to newspaper archives for the host cities, perhaps you'd be good enough to check. Thanks!

April 9 vs. Birmingham Black Barons in Montgomery
April 10 vs. Birmingham Black Barons in Montgomery
April 13 vs. Memphis Red Sox in Little Rock
April 23 vs. Cincy-Indy Clowns in New Orleans
April 24 vs. Cincy-Indy Clowns in Houston
April 25 vs. Cincy-Indy Clowns in Houston
April 26 vs. Cincy-Indy Clowns in Houston
April 30 vs. Cincy-Indy Clowns in Houston
May 1 vs. Cincy-Indy Clowns in Waco
May 2 vs. Cincy-Indy Clowns in Ft. Worth
May 4 vs. Cincy-Indy Clowns in Oklahoma City
May 15 vs. Birmingham Black Barons in Oklahoma City
May 23 vs. Cincy-Indy Clowns in Indianapolis
June 4 vs. Birmingham Black Barons in Montgomery
June 5 vs. Birmingham Black Barons in New Orleans
June 7 vs. Birmingham Black Barons in Nashville
June 11 vs. Cincy-Indy Clowns in Kansas City
June 12 vs. Cincy-Indy Clowns in Belleville, IL
June 23 vs. Homestead Grays in ?
July 17 vs. Baltimore Elite Giants in Baltimore
July 30 vs. Chicago American Giants in Kansas City
August 11 vs. Baltimore Elite Giants in ?
August 11 vs. Birmingham Black Barons in Wilmington, DE
August 17 vs. Baltimore Elite Giants in Baltimore
August 21 vs. Cincy-Indy Clowns in Nashville
September 2 vs. Memphis Red Sox in Kansas City
September 3 vs. Memphis Red Sox in Kansas City
September 4 vs. Memphis Red Sox in Belleville, IL
September 7 vs. Birmingham Black Barons in Toledo
September 20 vs. Cincy-Indy Clowns in Wichita, KS
September 23 vs. Cincy-Indy Clowns in Houston
September 24 vs. Cincy-Indy Clowns in Houston
September 25 vs. Cincy-Indy Clowns in Waco
September 26 vs. Cincy-Indy Clowns in Ft. Worth
September 27 vs. Cincy-Indy Clowns in Dallas
September 28 vs. Cincy-Indy Clowns in Ft. Worth

Thank Yous

One of the fun things about this project has been receiving help from fellow Negro Leagues enthusiasts. I posted to the SABR email list before starting the project asking for help, and I am grateful to all those who have generously assisted me.

Thanks to:
Chris Wertz
Dwayne Isgrig
Larry Lester
Wayne Stivers
Howard Henry
John Erardi
Jeff Zimmerman and Royals Review for the interview

And special thanks to John Holway, who paid out of his own pocket for research to be conducted that turned up many game accounts I wouldn't have otherwise found.

Your 1945 Kansas City Monarchs

(click to enlarge)

front row, L to R: Frank Duncan, John Scott, Jackie Robinson, Chico Renfroe, Chester Gray, Herb Souell, Walter Thomas, Sammie Haynes

back row: Jesse Williams, Jack Matchett, Booker McDaniels, Jim "Lefty" LaMarque, Dozier Hood, Eddie Williams, Lee Moody, Hilton Smith, Ensloe Wylie

Photo is from the wonderful book Black Baseball in Kansas City, which is a collection of photos with a heavy emphasis on the Monarchs.

Jackie wrote in his autobiography that playing in the Negro Leagues was a miserable way to make a buck, but he always seems to have a beaming smile in the few pictures of him with the Monarchs!

Postseason Exhibitions End The Season

The regular season came to an end on September 3rd, and the Monarchs weren't headed for the playoffs - but they weren't quite done either. They played exhibitions throughout September, including a long series with the Clowns between the 15th and 30th. I've scraped together nine game results from this period that include five wins to four losses. On the 18th in KC, outfielder John Scott knocked two home runs in a 6-0 win, with Lefty LaMarque tossing the shutout. The next day, Scott hit a double and triple as the Monarchs trounced the Clowns 9-1. The season came to a close in New Orleans when the workhorse of the '45 pitching staff, Booker McDaniels, tossed a gem: 13 strikeouts, three hits and a shutout.

Here's what the postseason exhibition schedule looked like:

And here's a look at the approximately 3,500 miles added to the bus on the tour:

9/28 Kansas City Call re: 9/18 & 9/19:

10/6 Pittsburgh Courier re: 9/30: